Driving Lesson Notes #8: Manoeuvres pt 1 (parking, exiting & pulling up)

Parking Restrictions:

Yellow lines, Red Lines, Permits etc…

We will now focus on how to maneuver the car in different situations and how to drive through different types of roads. In the driving test, it is expected to do one maneuver from four. These maneuvers are parallel parking,  forward bay parking, reverse bay parking, and pullover on the right (& reverse back 2 cars length).

Dane Tyghe, Driving Lessons with Damo, Learn Driving by Videos (birds eye view illustration)

 

a) MSPSL routine:

MSPSL stands for Mirrors, Signal, Position, Speed, Look.

(…)

b) Tips and Skills for exiting or parking:

Before moving off, ensure you know how to carry out safety checks, perform a cockpit drill, and start off the car with the POM (prepare, observe, and maneuver) steps. We now will focus on how to move off from parking in various parking spots. It is important to carry out the POM procedure before driving off.

i. Prepare before exiting:

…

ii. Move very slowly – Have your foot on the brake pedal & do not use the accelerator (unless needed on a hill slope):

Do not use the accelerator, unless needed on an incline slope. The accelerator is not needed and will be dangerous to use when near other vehicles. Have your foot on the brake pedal.

Use dry steering:

…

Give way:

…

Look around and only glance at the mirrors:

…

Reverse practice:

Straight reverse, turn, figure 8 etc…

iii. Be mindful of whether you are on Drive or Reverse:

It is not uncommon that you may forget to change the transmission to Drive or Reverse in the process of exiting or parking, especially after being distracted by an oncoming car, cyclist, or pedestrian. It is a good idea to change the transmission immediately after you finish one maneuver and not wait to change it until the next move. In this way, after being distracted, you can be ensure that you are already on the right transmission. This will help reduce the chance of accidents.

iv. Look out for hazardous situations when exiting or parking:

Pedestrians and cyclists can approach you at any moment so it’s important to be aware of what is happening around you. Look around you, use the mirrors, and check your blind spots before moving. Especially when reversing, make sure you look over your shoulders properly and use the side mirrors and camera to help aid you safely in or out of parking.

The side mirror are useful to let you know how close the car besides you are,

v. Back up (reverse) carefully:

Alert and aware of your surrounding

Looking back behind your shoulders with one-hand steering technique.

Reverse very carefully and slowly by slowly letting go of your brakes in Reverse transmission..

vi. Judging distances:

If the car in front of you is similar in size, you want to drive forward until you can’t see the bumper anymore. When reversing, stop when the headlights disappear or you can barely see the bonnet of the car behind you.

Note that there are no fixed rules to know when to stop based on your view because each vehicle is different. The view we see depends on i.e. seating position, the design of the vehicle we see, etc… So it is best to have a more conservative and safe approach, not risk moving any closer if we are not sure. Go out and have a look if you need to or have someone to guide you.

vii. Using your parking aid:

Firstly, it is important to know that using these devices only helps aid your maneuvers, and should not replace looking around and using your mirror in case of any hazardous situation. It is important to primarily look around because there may be people or cyclists around whom these devices will not pick up until it’s too late. Here are some devices to help you exit or park:

• Parking sensor: Use the parking sensor to know how close you are to the vehicle. Know the distance when it begins to beep intermittently or constantly.
• Camera: Use a camera to see the distance between you and the vehicle next to you.

viii. Be familiar with the steering angles:

Practice being familiar with the steering angles to help you know how to steer when exiting or parking. i.e. experiment with steering a quarter, half, a full wheel, etc…

ix. Be aware of the turning circles:

Be aware of the turning circles of your car. This is how much space you need when you drive in full circle when you are steering at its fullest. Most car moves in circles that are 9-11 meters wide. This will help you estimate whether you can leave a tight parking spot so you can adjust your position to find an opening to exit.

Parking & exiting:

a. Reverse parallel parking & exiting:

a) How to do parallel parking:

In parallel parking, you want to have a space about 1.5x the size of your vehicle to have enough space to maneuver.

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Position yourself adjacent to the car you want to park behind and with a distance between a door with (or 2-3 ft). You want to align your back bumper with its back bumper. You can use side mirrors as an observable reference point i.e. if the car is similar in size then just align your side mirror together or if it is longer then align your side mirror before their side mirror. It is better to have your car behind the neighboring car to reduce the risk of hitting it.
3. Check & look around (including checking the rear mirror, wing mirror, and blind spot) before reversing
4. Steer about 360 degrees towards the pavement and then slowly reverse until you reach a position that is less than 45 degrees from the pavement with some distance between your back bumper and the curb. Avoid going beyond 45 degrees otherwise, you’ll get stuck.
5. Straighten the wheel and move closer to the curb. Stop when you see a small triangle of road shown in your side mirror.
6. Turn your steering wheel all the way toward the direction to the center road and reverse until you are parallel to the curb. Use the side mirror to check if it is parallel. There should be a distance of no more than 50cm between your car and the curb – ideally 6 inches.
7. Straighten the wheel
8. Adjustment: creep forward and backward until you are in the right distance between the neighboring cars.

How to correct when in a wrong position/angle:

• In step 4 if you are over the 45-degree angle: put into 1st gear and go back to where you came from slightly to reduce the angle, straighten the wheel, and go back towards the curb.
•  In step 4 if you realise you got too close to the curb or your rear wheel touch it: put it into 1st gear and go forward slightly to increase your distance. If there is enough space in front of you, then simply steer all the way to the pavement, move forward to tuck the nose in, and then straighten the wheel.
• In step 6 if you touch the curb with your front wheel: put it into 1st gear and go back to where you came from slightly. Continue the step of straightening the wheel etc…

NB: It is better to steer first and then reverse so that you can have better control. However, some may prefer to do both simultaneously – to quickly steer and slowly reverse at the same time.

b) How to exit from parallel parking:

Moving off in open space:

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots – especially side mirror viewing the road) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Appropriately steer and creep forward toward the middle of the road
3. Steer towards the center of the road
4. Then drive off into the sunset

Moving off with adequate space:

This is when you have sufficient space (between the car in front and behind you) to steer once in order to exit the parking spot.

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots – especially side mirror viewing the road) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Safely reverse back to create more space in front of you [NB: you may steer towards the pavement to create a better angle to get out]
3. Appropriately steer (towards the road) and creep forward
4. Once the front of your car passes the car in front of you, you can begin to straighten the wheel and move slightly forward until you can safely steer towards the center of the road (parallel to the parked car in front of you)
5. Then drive off into the sunset

Moving off in tight space:

Under circumstances when you are parked in a tight parking space where you don’t have room to steer out once, you will need to include an additional step of going forward and backward diagonally to create an angle where you can exit the parking spot.

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots – especially side mirror viewing the road) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. To begin, fully steer (towards the middle of the road) and creep forward until you can’t no more [NB: To minimize the number of reverses (which is a more difficult maneuver to do), you can start by moving forward].
3. Fully steer (towards the pavement) and reverse slowly until you can’t do more.
4. Hopefully, at this point, you should have enough angle to exit the parking space. If there isn’t enough angle to move out, repeat steps 1 and 2 again – steering fully forward (towards the middle of the road) and steering fully backward (towards the pavement).
5. Steer appropriately (towards to center lane) and creep forward.
6. Once the front of your car passes the car in front of you, you can begin to straighten the wheel and move slightly forward until you can safely steer towards the center of the road (parallel to the parked car in front of you)
7. Then drive off into the sunset

 

b. Reverse bay (perpendicular) parking/exiting:

Reverse bay parking is preferred over front bay parking because it allows you better visibility when exiting and thus safer.

a) How to do 90-degree reverse bay parking (3 line method):

This 3-line method is easier to do than the 45-degree reverse parking method. However, you may risk losing your parking spot as the maneuver involves leaving your parking space unoccupied for a moment of time, which is why less favorable to use in busy areas.

1. Decide on your parking bay spot
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots – especially side mirror viewing the road) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. Be in your reference point position: move past your parking spot and stop when your shoulder (or side mirror) aligns with the third bay line from your parking spot. You should be about 1-1.5m away from the parking bay.
4.  Carry out an observational check, then fully steer toward the target parking spot, and then reverse.
5.  Straighten the wheel as you almost finish your turn or/and enter the parking bay – the bay lines will look parallel when looking at the side mirrors.
6. Be in the center of the parking space. Check you are within the parking bay by checking that the neighboring front parking line is seen under the side mirror. Check you are in the center of the parking bay by using the side mirror to check that the parking line is parallel with the car. You may also open the door to check, but make sure the handbrake is on and you are in neutral.

Correction:

(…)

b) How to do 45-degree reverse bay parking:

In comparison to the 90-degree reverse (3-line) method, this method is more difficult to do but it has its advantage in that it doesn’t leave the parking space unoccupied for other drivers to up your parking spot during the maneuver.

1. Decide on your parking bay spot
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots – especially side mirror viewing the road) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. Reference point position: You want to be as close to the parking bay as possible as your maneuver needs space when you turn out. Your reference point is when your shoulders align with the center of your parking spot. An alternative reference point is when the second line (that you pass) on your parking bay is aligned with your side mirror.
4. Carry out observational checks, fully steer away from the parking spot direction, and move forward to create roughly a 45-degree angle. With a lowered side mirror, the space of the front bay line that you can see roughly indicates the space you will have when you park. You want to see about 10% of the front bay line.
5. From the 45-degree angle position, straighten the steering wheel and reverse back until you are closer to the parking bay.
6. Steer fully in the opposite direction (from step 4) and reverse until you parallel in the parking bay. This is when you see the car is parallel with the car in the side mirror.
7. Straighten the wheels & reverse backward until you are centered in the parking bay. Use how far the neighbor’s front bay line is from the side mirror to judge if you are in the bay line.

Correction:

• When not in the bay or not centered in the bay: drive forward, readjust, and reverse back in.
• In step 5 if you reverse and turn too early/sharp: straighten up the wheel, reverse, full steering again and then straighten when aligned in the center of the parking bay
• In step 5 if you reverse too late: continue to be in full lock until in the parking bay, then full lock in the other side and reverse.

c) How to exit from reverse bay parking:

You simply want to edge forward about halfway from the parking spot and steer out from the parking spot.

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Creep forward until you are halfway out where the center of your car (or B pillar) is aligned with the front of the adjacent car.
3. Under narrow space, you can make adjustments by shuffling back and forth until there is an opening
4. Appropriately steer and creep out from the parking spot
5. Straighten the wheels and drive off

Reference (Reverse):

Reference (Forward/Reverse):

 

c. Forward bay (perpendicular) parking/exiting:

Forward bay parking is convenient for loading items into the back trunk i.e. for groceries. It is less preferred than Reverse bay parking as it’s in a position that reduces visibility when reversing out, making it difficult to see oncoming vehicles or pedestrians.

a) How to do forward bay parking:

1. Decide on the parking bay. Choosing a direction that is on the side you are driving in the car will make it easier to maneuver.
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. You want to ensure you have enough space between your car and the parking bay to do the maneuver. You want to have a distance of a car width (or 2m) – as it takes about 4-5m for a vehicle to turn by 90 degrees with dry steering. So if possible, you want to swirl creating an ark on the opposite side of the lane before parking. It is important to check our blind spots as another driver may not think we are moving from one end of the road to another.
4. First position: Stop at the turning reference point – the reference point depends on your vehicle, height, and seat position. You can start with the turning reference point when your shoulder aligns with the center of the parking bay just before your target parking bay. If you find yourself not ending up in the center of the parking bay, you can adjust your reference i.e. the turning point being of your shoulder aligning before or after the center of the parking bay. You can use other objects to create a reference point, i.e. when the first line of the parking bay begins to appear “under” the side mirror; when the first line aligns with our door handle.
5. [Check], move slowly whilst steering fully & quickly towards the target parking bay. To be in the center of the parking bay, align the center of your car with the center of the parking bay line (and imagine the line extends beyond) to guide you to move forward.
6. As you almost finish your turn into the parking bay or enter the parking bay, start to straighten the wheels.
7. Check that you are within the parking spot. Check that the car is straight by checking if your dashboard looks like it is parallel with something in front of you. Check that your car is not edged out of the parking bay by seeing if the neighboring parking line touches the bottle of the mirror. Alternatively, you can estimate if you are roughly aligning yourself roughly in the middle and a bit of the parking bay length. You can also align your side mirror with the neighboring side mirror or use your imagination to estimate where it should be if there are no neighboring cars. Check that you are parked parallel to the parking lines by seeing if it is parallel in the side mirror. You can also open the door to check but make sure they have the parking brakeon and select neutral.

Corrections:

• In step 5 if steer too late & and end up further towards the next parking stop: stop, steer all the way to the other way, reverse and you should align closer to your parking bay. Straighten the wheel, select 1st gear, and aim the center of your vehicle to the center of the parking bay (and beyond).
• In step 5 if steer too early and end up closer to the parking bay before yours: there is not much you can do other than to start again. So it is better to steer later than earlier.
• If the car is not centered in the parking bay, then reverse and adjust.

b) How to exit forward bay parking:

This involves 2 steps. The first is to back out to the opposite direction you want to drive off to so that your car will be able to face that direction when you pull out. Then you can drive off. Be extra careful, look around attentively, and move very slowly because the visibility is low at this parking position.

1. [Additional step for under narrow space: you can position yourself on the edge of the parking spot for a better opening angle to exit. Do so by reversing and then appropriately steer back to the parking spot on the edge]
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (focus on looking behind both of your shoulders for a better view) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. In reverse, back out until your mirror is aligned with the back/front of the adjacent vehicle before fully steering out – as you pull back may decide to slightly and carefully steer to create a better opening angle.
4. Fully steer and creep to the  opposite side where you want to go
5. Under narrow space, you can make adjustments by shuffling back and forth until there is an opening
6. Straighten the wheels and drive off

Reference: One, two, third, four, five

 

d. Reverse Angle Parking/Exiting:

a) How to do Reverse Angle Parking (method 2):

1. Decide on the parking bay. Choosing a direction that is on the side you are driving in the car will make it easier to maneuver.
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. The first point of reference where you stop is when your side mirror aligns with the tip of the third line from the line when you first pass your parking bay.
4. Steer fully towards the parking spot and reverse
5. Straighten the wheel and reverse when you are parallel with the parking bay line. The car should be parallel to the parking lines with the side mirrors.

b) How to do Reverse Angle Parking (method 1):

1. Decide on the parking bay. Choosing a direction that is on the side you are driving in the car will make it easier to maneuver.
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. The first point of reference where you stop is when your side mirror aligns with the tip of the second line of your parking bay.
4. Fully steer away from the parking spot and move forward until the back of your car faces toward the parking spot. You can see that the bay line is parallel to the car in the side mirror.
5. Straighten the wheel and reverse into the parking bay

c) Exiting from Reverse Angle Parking:

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Creep forward and begin steering when you are (…)
3. Under narrow space, you can make adjustments by shuffling back and forth until there is an opening
4. Appropriately steer and creep out from the parking spot
5. Straighten the wheels and drive off

 

e. Forward Angle Parking/Exiting:

a) How to do Forward Angle Parking:

1. Decide on the parking bay. Choosing a direction that is on the side you are driving in the car will make it easier to maneuver.
2. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
3. The first point of reference where you stop is when your side mirror aligns with the tip of the first line of your parking bay or the
4. Fully steer toward the parking space and move forward until you face the parking bay
5. Straighten the wheel and drive forward until you enter the parking bay

b) How to exit from Forward Angle Parking:

This involves 2 steps. The first is to back out to the opposite direction you want to drive off to so that your car will be able to face that direction when you pull out. Then you can drive off.

1. Put your signal indicator on to the direction you will be steering out to and look around you (including using mirrors and blind spots) for any oncoming vehicles or people.
2. Reverse backward ensuring a safe distance from cars on either side. Whilst reversing, keep checking your side mirrors and out your back and side windows.
3. Once the back of your car passes the back of the car park to your (left/right?), start steering & reversing in the opposite direction you intend to drive off to.
4. Once you’re out of the park, remember to check your mirrors, do a shoulder check, and indicator before you drive off.
5. Straighten the wheels and drive off

 

Pulling up:

a. Pulling up on the left:

1. Find appropriate space to pull up on: make sure it is safe, convenient, legal, and has enough space (about 5 car lengths). Avoid unsuitable place such as junctions, bus stops or anything else we shouldn’t stop next to.
2. Make sure there’s no oncoming vehicle or wait for them
3. Check: interior mirror, right-hand mirror, quick right shoulder check,
4. Signal left
5. Steer to the left of the curb. Use a reference point to estimate how close you are to the curb. It is where you see the pavement on the screen.
6. Straighten the wheel

• If possible don’t stop too close to the kerbs otherwise people may think you are parking. It will be more difficult to move out and the traffic behind may overtake.
• Avoid using left signal lights if possible to avoid others thinking you are parking.
• Be safely positioned outward so you can be ready to move back out.
• Avoid stopping near a parked car if possible, otherwise it will be more difficult to move back out.
• Waiting on 2nd gear isn’t ideal. Always prepare to go in 1st gear.

Read here and here.

b. Pulling up on the right & reverse: 

Although it is recommended to pull up on the left side of the road, there are times when we may have to pull up on the opposite side of the road on the left. Use the MSM routine to do it safely. Check with our mirror, signal (if necessary) and move to the right well before we need to stop.

1. Find appropriate space to pull up on: make sure it is safe, convenient, legal, and has enough space. Avoid unsuitable places such as junctions, bus stops, or anything else we shouldn’t stop next to. You need about 5-6 car lengths of space to get over to the other side and get the car straight.
2. Make sure there’s no oncoming vehicle or wait for them
3. Check –  interior mirror, right-hand mirror, quick right shoulder check,
4. Signal right
5. Gradually move over to the right (not too sharply) to reduce the chance of hitting the curb. You don’t have to be near the curb but within a drain width will be fine for the driving test.
6. Straighten the wheel and position it close to the curb.
7. Parking brake on, select neutral, and cancel the signal.
8. Check before reverse: check around, and finish looking over your left shoulder via the rear window.
9. Slowly reverse back about 2 cars length: maintain position to the curb when reversing. You can use your side mirror or align with something in the rear window that may help remain aligned. But don’t stare at anything as you need to be aware all around for any oncoming vehicle or pedestrian. If car pass, then stop.
10. Prepare to exit: check all around, mirror on the right, interior, left, blind spot on the left.
11. Signal left
12. Check, ensure no oncoming vehicle before driving off to the left.